Current data management tools provide users with a wide variety of data storage and access techniques that allow users to enter, modify, and access data. More advanced data management techniques, such as pivot tables, custom reports, and other technologies such as Lotus Symphony™, provide users with a flexible way to aggregate, break down, and analyze sets of data. In general, a pivot table is a data table that contains data derived from another table (e.g., aggregation or summarization). An example of a pivot table is shown in FIG. 1. In addition to a pivot table 104, FIG. 1 also shows an example of a raw data list 102 (e.g., data in an Excel table) used to generate the pivot table 104. The raw data list 102 contains information relating to sales of types of grocery products (e.g., dairy, beverages, produce, and meat). According to the raw data list, the sales take place in one of four regions (e.g., north, south, east, and west) over a period of time. The raw data list 102 also shows unit information for the sale of grocery products. Once converted into the pivot table 104, the information of the raw data list 102 is organized according to region and type of grocery product. The pivot table 104 shows totals for each grocery product type and for each region. Also, the pivot table 104 displays grand totals for all the regions and for all the types of grocery products.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, pivot tables can be a useful tool for presenting data. Customizable report tables may provide similar advantages. Some data tools even provide a graphical or diagrammatical display of raw and/or manipulated data based on output provided by a previously generated pivot table or report. However, pivot tables, report filters, and similar tools are often difficult to use. For example, users may have to go through several steps to specify parameters for the pivot table or report, especially in cases involving large data sets. In addition, users may have trouble conceptualizing the contents and organization of data to be presented in the pivot table or report, making it even more difficult to specify parameters. Also, due to limitations in current software, it may be difficult to produce a visually compelling output.